The Chicago Bulls are learning to overcome adversity with guidance from a few of their young players.

Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu powered the Bulls to a 124-116 victory over the Heat on Thursday night in the first of two straight games in Miami. The teams play again Saturday.

Here are five takeaways from the win.

1. Alex Caruso exits early after missing 2 games with a left ankle injury.

The Bulls were momentarily buoyed by the return of Caruso, who started after missing the prior two games because of an ankle injury. The guard appeared to immediately snap back into form, sinking a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game.

But that didn’t last. Caruso played less than five minutes before the ankle injury flared up after he was stepped on accidentally by Nikola Vučević. Caruso went to the bench, then to the locker room after a brief conversation with the medical staff before being ruled out at halftime. Caruso finished with six points and one assist. His availability for Saturday’s rematch is uncertain.

Dosunmu filled in for Caruso, providing an important boost off the bench. Dosunmu had 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. He sank two critical 3-pointers — one with 2:27 left after the Heat cut the lead to four, then another to extend the lead to 10 with 29 seconds remaining.

2. Bulls squander 25-point lead but hold off comeback attempt.

The Bulls could not have asked for a better start. They opened the game with an 8-0 run and built a 33-8 lead in barely eight minutes. This flurry was fueled from behind the arc — the Bulls went 7-for-11 as every starter hit at least one 3-pointer in the first quarter.

It was the best first quarter the Bulls had seen since Jan. 31, 1997, when Michael Jordan led the team to a 27-point advantage against the Golden State Warriors.

But the script flipped in the second quarter. The Bulls went cold from 3-point range, shooting 3-for-12. The Heat went on a 17-2 run to cut the lead to single digits with just less than four minutes left in the first half, taking advantage of turnovers and poor rotations that left Caleb Martin wide open under the rim on multiple occasions.

Fouls slowed the second quarter to the Heat’s advantage. The Bulls sent the Heat to the line 12 times — resulting in 11 points — in the quarter, which stymied the pace of the game.

The Heat cut their deficit to four by halftime but never got closer — a critical adjustment from the Bulls holding off the comeback.

“We came out hot,” Dosunmu said. “We were making 3 after 3, I don’t know how many in a row. The realization of that is that you’re not going to make those shots all game. There will come a spell where you’re going to miss shots. The human nature is when you’re down early, you play harder, pick it up, it gives you more energy.

“I was just trying to tell the guys that they’re going to make a run, it’s OK, stay with it. It’s going to be a long game. We understood that they were going to fight back, it’s just about keep going, keep going, keep going.”

3. Coby White balances scoring with ball distribution in another strong effort.

In another high-scoring night, White led the Bulls with 26 points and 11 assists for his first double-double of the season.

The most important feature of White’s performance was his adaptability. He opened the game shooting hot from 3-point range, sinking four baskets from behind the arc in the opening half to extend his franchise-record streak of scoring three or more 3-pointers to 13 games.

But as the Heat threw bodies at White to force him off the line, he adjusted to distribute the ball and get to the rim. White scored 14 points in the second half despite not making another 3-pointer.

White hit two milestones, recording the 1,000th assist and 1,000th rebound of his career.

4. Nikola Vučević anchors offense as Bulls continue to balance floor.

In a well-balanced night of scoring, it was clear the Bulls have figured out how to play through Vučević.

Vučević had 24 points and seven assists in the win. He scored 15 points in the third quarter as the Heat attempted to close shooters such as White off from the 3-point arc, eating up matchups in the paint without star center Bam Adebayo.

The bread and butter for the Bulls is pick-and-roll action between Vučević and his guards — namely White and Dosunmu, who credited the partnership for unlocking the rest of the offense.

5. Another high-assist night reflects improving offensive flow.

The Bulls finished with 32 assists as they thrived off a well-balanced offense that moved the ball fluidly. Four players scored 20 or more points — White with his team-high 26, Vučević and Dosunmu with 24 and DeMar DeRozan with 23.

Among the highlights was a leaping 360-degree pass from DeRozan to set up White for a corner 3-pointer in the first half.

Most importantly, the Bulls had only five turnovers. Dosunmu and White finished with zero turnovers. The Heat managed only five points off turnovers while the Bulls scored 15 off Miami turnovers.

The Bulls are 3-1 when they record 30-plus assists in a game.

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